Castle Kennedy

Castle Kennedy is about three miles west of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, in south-west Scotland. The estate in which it stands has been owned by the Kennedys since 1482, when John, Lord Kennedy, was appointed keeper by King James IV. In those days, the castle was on an island and the present-day White and Black Lochs, separated by a narrow isthmus, were one area of water. The castle we see today was built in 1607 by John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassillis, replacing the earlier stronghold. In 1677, the property passed to the Sir James Dalrymple of Stair, who added the north range to the existing building. Sir James was a distinguished lawyer who was President of the Court of Session. He was created Viscount Stair in 1690 and died five years later. The 3rd Viscount became an army Field Marshall and an Ambassador to France. He began the construction of the wonderful gardens which are a feature of the estate today. In 1716, however, when staff heard of the imminent return of the 2nd Earl of Stair from France, they were airing the bedding in front of an open fire, and the earl arrived to find his home in flames. The castle was never again occupied.

Throughout the southwest, the Gulf Stream's prevailing mildness protects many frost-tender species and ensures that the area has gardens in variety.  Some are intimate and modest in design but Castle Kennedy's are on a grand scale. While other garden planners made do with limited staff, the Earl of Stair, a field marshal and British Ambassador to France, had sufficient authority to call on troops of soldiers to help in the construction of his garden from 1733 onwards, using a plan by William Adam.
Around the burnt-out shell of the original Castle Kennedy, construction was undertaken on a large scale; a terraced mound to appreciate better the long vistas over the Round Pond, itself constructed from a bay of the much larger White Loch; another great hummock, Mount Marlborough, for views over the Black Loch; and the Giant's Grave, a long grassy rampart that showed what could be done in terms of earthworks by a troop of soldiers.

One of the most spectacular sights among this great swathe of sculpted parkland is Monkey Puzzle Avenue.  About 100 years old, this sweeping feature leads the eye from the Round Pond up to the relatively modern Lochinch Castle, private home of the present Earl and Countess of Stair. In the first half of the 19th century the gardens were neglected but were subsequently restored through the efforts of the eighth earl.
The scale of these grand grounds means that visitors especially enjoy the overall effect. It becomes difficult to focus on individual species, particularly when the impact of the gardens owes so much to the sheer size of the trees of Wellingtonia or Metasequoia species - or indeed so many monkey puzzles {Araucaria} over 70ft high. However, the gardens do have a huge botanical collection that is equally impressive.

One outstanding feature is the variety of rhododendrons which make an early summer visit a breathtaking experience.  Many of the arboretum rhododendrons are over 100 years old, the produce of seed brought back by Sir Joseph Hooker from the Himalayas. As well as a range of azaleas and acid-loving camellias sheltering in the shade of conifers, the gardens also feature extensive collections of eucryphia. likewise revelling in the soft airs, and embothrium, the Chilean fire bush.

Along with the exotic magnolias, all these add to the curiously dream-like quality that the visitor may experience in the gardens. Long avenues blaze with bloom, a gaunt, towered castle stands on the skyline, behind the Giant's Grave is a sheltered grassy space called the Dancing Green, the garden visitor almost expects the trees to be hung with fairy lanterns. Only occasional glimpses across the Black Loch to the Galloway countryside offer reminders of the rural reality beyond this grand scale fancy of the energetic earl and his soldiers.